Many user interfaces for text-based search providers on a computer or on the internet provide one or more suggestions to a user while the user is entering a query for a search. Such suggestions typically are words or phrases that match and/or complete a string of characters that the user has entered. As the user enters more characters, the suggestions change to continue matching or completing the string already entered. A user can stop entering characters and select one of the suggested words or phrases as the query.
A search provider typically derives suggestions from history data and potential search results for the query as currently entered. For example, if a user's computer indexes files, then a search tool on that computer may provide suggestions based on files that match the query as entered. The search tool also may provide suggestions based on prior queries performed by the user using the search tool. Similarly, a search engine on the internet may provide suggestions based on resources, such as web pages, that match the query as entered. The search engine also may provide suggestions based on prior queries of that user and/or other users using the search tool. In general, each search provider provides suggestions based on the history or indexed data associated with that search provider.